Elevator doorlock



Oct. 30, 1934. 1 H BORDEN Er vM 1,979,022

ELEVATOR DOORLOCK Filed Jan. 3, 19.34 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y Oct. 30, 1934. J. H. BORDEN Er AL ELEVATOR DOORLOCK 'Filed Jan. 5, 1954 3 sheets-sheet 5 w/TNEJS Patented Oct. 30, 1934 PATENT OFFICE ELEVATOR Joseph H. Borden and DOORLOCK Charles J. Kett, Philadelphia, Pa., assgnors to Atlantic Elevator Company, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 3,

` 19 Claims.

` The present invention relates to elevators,and more particularly to the provision of an improved combination door lock and control mechanism for automatic Velevators such as are used in small "V apartmenthouses, private homesand the like,

`amil thus intended to be operated by the passengers themselves and left unattended when not 1n use.

.In elevators of this type it is customary to prolovid'e in the elevator cab a control board or panel 'carrying suitable operating switches by means of which a passenger may cause the cab to ascend or descend in the hatchway while a push button is provided at each floor level exteriorly of the hatch- "lway by means of which a. prospective passenger may cause the cab to move to his floor when it is resting at' some other iloor level. Moreover, the doors of the hatch at the various iloor levels are yusually .made self closing and so interconnected 20 withv the elevator control mechanism as to render 'its energization impossible when any one of them 4is open.

Various control and locking mechanisms have heretofore been employed in elevators of this 2 5 character to prevent them from being operated save when all the hatchway doors are closed and securely locked but, as far as we are aware, none ofthem has been completely satisfactory for its intended purpose. f i Itis therefore a principal object of our invention to provide a door lock and associated mechanism which, when installed adjacent each hatchway door of an automatic elevator, is, among other things, effective, first, to positively prevent '35` operation of the main motor yor other means for moving the cab in the hatchway unless all the lhatchway doors are closed and locked; second, to `prevent any door from being opened until the .cab has stopped at one of the floors, and, third, j 40't'o 'then allow the door at that floor only to be opened and to keep the other doors locked until the cab ultimately comes to rest at another floor. A further object of our invention is to provide an'improved elevator door lock of the class described comprising means, positively actuated by mechanism carried by the cab, effective to release the locking mechanism and permit the adjacent door tobe opened after the cab reaches the iloor' level, simultaneously with the opening of that door, to `deenergize the system and prevent operation of the cab until the door. is again closed, and, upon subsequent operation of the cab, to lock the door and keep it locked so it cannot be reopened until the cab returns to that A floor.

1934, serial No. 705,084 (ci. lsv-e1) association with the corresponding door, which housing in the preferred embodiment of the invention conta-ins in addition to a safety switch and the locking mechanism per se, a floor limit switch in combination therewith and actuated by the same means, as well as a push button by which the cab is summoned to the floor, so that a single cable carrying the various conductors for the circuits in which the safety switch floor limit switch and push button are included, may

be brought to the housing and allthe conneci tions made therein, thus facilitating initial installation and maintenance of subsequent satisfactory operative conditions.

A still further object of the invention is the provision in a lock of the general character of that to which the invention relates, of means for controlling the action of the locking mechanism in accordance with the movements of the cab and insuring a positive and certain actuation thereof to releaseA the lock as the cab reaches the iloor and to reengage it after the cab has moved therefrom, said means in their preferred embodiment comprising, among other things, cams carried by the cab cooperative with parts extending to the locking mechanism contained within the housing.

Still other objects, purposes and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear or will be fully understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings.

In its said embodiment, our improved door lock mechanism comprises, generally speaking, a housing let into and secured in the jamb of the door in such position that actuating means, carried by the cab, may engage means carried by the housing to effect operation of the locking mechanism in the latter to thereby release a latch and associated parts carried by the door itself; for convenience of illustration and simplication of description, we have shown in the said drawings but a single lock in association with an elevator cab, hatchway and door construction of a usual type, but it will of course be understood that a similar lock is in practice located at each floor communicating through a door with the hatchway.

In the said drawings, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view partly in front elevation and partly broken away into vertical section of the lock with the housing cover plate removed, the elevator door and. door jamb, with the door locked in closed position just prior to the ascending cab coming into registry with the floor; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the lock housing and enclosed parts on the line 2--2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 1, particularly designed to illustrate 'the lock'actuating arm and means carriedby the elevator cab for eiiecting itsrnovement; Fig. 4 is a View generally corresponding to Fig. 1 but showing the parts in unlocked position as when the door is about to be opened after'the cab has attained proper registry with the floor; Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 5-5 in Fig. "4, generally corresponding .to Fig. 2, :while Fig. .6 similarly corresponds to Fig. 3. Fig. 'l is a fragmentary View, partially in plan and .partially Iin horizontal section, of the lock and associated mechanism shown in the preceding| figures, and Fig. 8 a fragmentary vertical section corresponding to Fig. 1 except that certain :parts are.`

'door D which-'is ihinged yto J"; within the 'hatch 'the vcab C visjarranged 'for vertical movement in response to suitable -energization vof lits actuating mechanism (notshown).

v'The latch-andv associated mechanisms generally designated as 1 are, Vas usual, mounted in and Isecuredto'thedoor Diwhile the housing'Z, 2' and 2 forming the latch keeper `and enclosing the 'locking mechanism is set inthe door vjamb J and 'firmly securedtherein.

rFrom the housing, v`which is a box-like metal structure having removable front and'back Ycover plates'2, 2", an actuating vshaft v3 projects in a -direction opposite thatof the fdoorand supports at its outer end, `which terminates Vin the hatch beyond the jamb il, an actuating arm '4 provided `with a cam-engaging roller 5, the roller thus Vlying Iin'thepath'oa cam-8, hereaftervmore particularly described, fixed Atolthe cab'C whereby the'actuating-arm is oscillated through a relatively small arc as'the main viaceof the camis movedinto or `out of 'engagement with the 'roller yas the result ofmovementofthe cab. VThe-'cam'on-the cab and the 'roller and actuating arm 'on'the -shaft 4'are --so arranged with Yrespectto their associated parts that when the cab is fin -substantial=registry with *thefloor the shaft `occupiesone position of rotative-'adjustment and when'the cab moves out-of such registry the shaft is'moved to Yanotherposi- `4tion vof such adjustment.

The shaft *3, when moved from one of Ysaid 'positions tothe vother bythe cam asa result 4of movement of the cab, causes lactuation of certain ycontrol'mechanisms within-the housing, whereby *thedoor is locked or unlocked, and `certain of the velectrical devices-enteringinto the elevator'oper- Aation are `energized vor deenergized, Ythe -speoiiic -functions `being performed in Vcoordinated seouence and `in 'correspondence vwith the direction in whichfthe-shaft is moved by the-cam. Thus, inthe example shown Iin the'drawings, when the shaft moves `in a clockwise direction as vfrom the position shown in'Fig. '3 tothat shown in'=Fig. 6, as during movement'of the cab toan upper oor from a lower one, -the door locking lmechanism nwithin the @housing is actuated to'unlockthe door, Yso that it amay readilylbeopened by'anroccupant or "a prospective occupant of Ethe cab. .A limit switchL :located in thehousing 'ispreferably substantially simultaneously actuated by the movement of the shaft 3 to stop the cab in proper relation to the iioor level, although this switch may, if desired, be located outside the housing and separate and independent limit switch operating mechanism employed for actuating it as several such mechanisms are well known in the art.

In accordance with our invention, however, on release of the door locking mechanism in the :manner to which reference has been made, and subsequent retraction of the door latch in openfing vthedoor, a safety switch S also included in ythe housing is opened, and the entire system 4thereby deenergizedpreventing movement of the .elevatorin response to operation of any of the controlling. switches or buttons by means of which it is normally .operated when the safety switch is closed. As will hereinafter more fully appear, thisswitch S is closed only when the door associated with it is also closed, and it is thus evident fthat'operation'of the lelevator when the door is open is impossible.

"In lthe specific embodiment .of .our invention shown `:inthe drawings, 'the shaft '.-3 .is journaled 1in 'bosses forrnedinthe walls .ofithehousing and vcarries a collar '10, secured thereto :.bya vpinll, y'having substantially diametrically .opposed generally vertically extending arms l2, 13 .formed integrally therewith. The end faces `of these arms serve, in effect,:as=cams:foriactuating other i -partsin the housingpas they are moved infopposite vdirections by movement .of .theshaft'under the influence' of cam 8 non the `cab, .assisted .in the Ylocking direction by acoil :spring l14, surrounding the'shaft Thus, the downwardly dependingarm ',llO v12 actuates ra spring '-Lpressed door latch :locking flever l'which is ,pivoted at1=16 Ato one wall of the 'housing `and .carriesat .its lfree vend .a depending fspring pressed pivoted trigger ordetent 17 which consequentlymoves with ithe varm ilin ashort'ver- 31115 'tical pathadjacent .an opening .18 :in .the rhousing through which the door latch 19 projects when ftherdoorxis closed.

The projecting iportion -rof fthe latch :19 is of farcuate form .and is providedfonzits `convex sur- 7741120 iface'nwitha`` pair. of notchesZO, 21in .onerof which, normallyfthenotch 20, the .trigger is-tengagedwhen depressed, ri. ;e., when `'held `in the position :shown in Fig. 1 through engagement of theiarrn 1l2-with `the lever 15. 'The ifree end of :thelatch vprojects 1 25 -below :the znotch 21 aand engages aan insulated 4finger 23 sof -the safety vswitch `S :when entered sufficiently into the housing yto .thereby maintain .this :switch .1in )circuit Aclosing position.

The -safetyrswitch :Sfmay vbe of-'any suitableor 'i130 .desired construction, :but .we :prefer `to employ, iand :have shown, 'fa switch comprising .a spring v,pressed lever .-25 pivoted :between bosses Aon the .housingandto Vwhich thefnger 23.is secured, the .latter ahaving :on :its "free end a :depending post .261111'35 yuponzwhicha :switch plate .27,-desirably made of copper, .is zslidably disposed. 111e :plate is yield- .ingly urged downwardly toward the lower vend of the .post'by aspring28, butis prevented from being .forcedfoi Zthe end of fthe lpost by a ,pin 30; 'lostrnotion of the :plate relatively tothe pin is `thus permitted, so .thatwhen the ngerisldepressed, vspaced contacts 31 carried by the plate :are :brought into satisfactory electrical xconnection with correspondinglyspaced contacts 32 car- Iried by and insulated from 'the-housing without vdamage totheparts. A circuit between ythecontacts'32 'is thus completed rwhen :the :finger 23 is depressed Aby the latch 'but v-is broken :by the up- Ward movement of the nger when the latch "T56 sin retracted and, las heretofore indicated, breaking of -this circuit throughV the safety switch deenergizes the entire system, the contacts 32 being in electrical connection therewith through asuitable cable, which may contain additional conductors for other connections, and be led into i the housing through a hole 33 in the side of `circuit-closing instead of toward circuit-opening position. It is opened in opposition to the action of this spring by engagement of the end of arm 13 with a lug 35 on its pivoted arm 36 when the fre.

shaft3 is turned counterclockwise by coaction of cam 8 with roller 5 as the cab approaches the floor, andI thereby shuts off the actuating current so the cab can drift into proper registry with the floor before coming to rest.

Conversely, when the cab leaves the floor, the shaft 3 is turned in the opposite direction, the limit switch is permitted to close, the locking lever is depressed, and the trigger 17 brought into engagement with the latch, since under normal conditions the elevator cannot leave the floor unless the safety switch S is held in circuit closing position by the latch 19 and the latter is therefore in position to be engaged usually in the notch 20 by the trigger 17.

The arms 12, 13 respectively are provided with stop screws 37, 88 held in position'by lock nuts `and selectively adapted to engage the front cover plate 2 of the housing 2 to thereby adjustably limit the movement of the arms and hence of the shaft 3 in opposite directions, as clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 5.

` llhe door latch 19 is actuated from a door knob fixed to a squared shaft 41 which extends thru the latch housing 42 an arm 43 secured to the shaft and a floating link 44 pivoted to both the arm and the latch 19 providing a mechanical leverage whereby rotation of the shaftthru turning the door knob in either direction retracts the latch into its housing. ASimultaneously with retraction of the latch a projecting arm 45 integral therewith is brought into engagement with a *notchedY spring pressed trigger 46, pivotally secured at the bottom of the housing and having a toe 48 formed at its free end for engagement with a releasing lug 50. The latter is secured to the Vdoor jamb J and projects into the latch housing `its toe with the fixed lug 50, thus releasing the Y `arm 45 and permitting the latch to be projected from the latch housing and thru its keeper slot in housingV 2 under the iniiuence of a coil spring 5 3 or other suitable yielding means provided for the purpose.

rlhe main actuating cam 8 mounted on the elevator cab and to which reference has heretofore been made, preferably comprises a vertically extending body desirably formed of wood as that material permits it to readily be made of the properlength and conformation for any particular job while the elevator is being installed without the necessity for prearranged pattern making, machining and the like. A pair of V- shaped auxiliary cams 56, 57 desirably formed of metal, are disposed adjacent the ends of the body 55, and each is provided with a pair of angular faces 56', 56, 57', 57, of which 56', 57" are substantially parallel to one angular face 55" of the main cam 8 and to each other, while 56, 57 are substantially parallel to its other face 55 and to each other. The faces 56', 57 of these cams are respectively spaced from the adjacent faces 55, 55' of the main cam for a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the roller 5 so that when the latter rides along either of the said faces it will just clear the substantially parallel face of the adjacent auxiliary cam. In the particular embodiment of the invention we have illustrated, the shaft 3 is turned in a clockwise direction to free the locking lever 15 and in a counterclockwise direction to lock that lever, and it will now be apparent that the clockwise movement will be effected vby coaction of the cam roll with cam face 55 when the cab is ascending to the floor andby coaction of said roller with the face 55 when the cab is descending to it thus bringing the rollto the position shown in Fig. 6. When the 4cab leaves the iloor, the counterclockwise movement requisite to lock' the lever 15 is positively effected by coaction of the cam face 57 acting on the roll when the cab is moved upwardly and by cam face 56' when the cab moves downwardly, so that in either case the desired certainty of the roll and arm being returned to locking position is positively insured. Thus, under normal conditions, the auxiliary cam faces 56", 57" do not coact with the roll but are desirably provided so as to positively return the roll to proper position in case for any reason while the cab is away from the i'loor it should depart therefrom and assume a position in which it could not be properly contacted by the main cam 8 when the cab returns.

It will now be further apparent that as the shaft 3 is turned to the position shown in Fig. 6

the limit switch is opened by the arm 13 to interrupt the motor circuit and bring the cab to rest at the floor level; that the arm 12 simultaneously moves out of engagement with the locking lever 15 and permits the latter to be Y" raised by the pressure of its actuating spring and that the trigger 17 thus is raised from its engagement in the notch 20. The door may now be released by rotation of the door knob to retract the latch 19 from its keeper whereupon the safety switch S is opened through release of the switch finger by the latch. As the latch is now retracted within the door, when the latter is opened the trigger 46 moves into engagement with the arm 45 on the latch as the toe 47 of the trigger moves away from the lug 50 mounted on the door jamb and the latch is thus held in open position until the trigger is again released through reclosing the door.

When the safety switch is open, it is impossible for the elevator to be moved by either an occupant operating the switches on the panel within the cab or by a prospective passenger at another floor, as it will of course be understood that at each floor similar door locking mechanism is provided as well as a push button 60 operative, when pressed to bring the cab tothe corresponding floor from any other one, assuming the entire mechanism and circuits interconnected therewith are in position for such movement, i. e., that all the doors are yclosed .and theswitches inthe several door .locks are in the position indicated .in Fig. 1.

Upon closing of the door preparatory to move- -ment of the cab to anotherfioon-the lug 50-engages the toe 48 of the trigger 46 to release the .latch and the latter is Aprojected. outwardly from the door and intov its keeper in housing 2, its forward lend engaging the safety switch to close the main motor circuit-and permit normal operation of the elevator. The elevator may then be operated either by means of the controls within the cab or by means of one of the push buttons at another liioor in accordance with the usual practice.

Upon movement of the cab in one direction or the other away from the floor one of the faces 56', 57 ofthe corresponding auxiliarycam, depending on the direction of travel, is brought into engagement with roller 5 as the main cam moves away from it. rlhe roller 5 is thus constrained to substantially follow the adjacent end face of the main cam and the shaft 3 is thereby positively moved ina counterclockwise direction as already explained. This movement of the shaft is assisted to some extent by the spring 14 surrounding the shaft within the housing 2which also operates to maintain the shaft in locking position after the elevator has moved away. The movement of the shaft, as indicated, results in secure locking of the latch in the keeper, as the locking lever 15 is depressed by the arm 12 upon such movement, and thereby held in. depressed position so that the trigger 17 is positively maintained in engagement with latch by pressure of the arm 12 on the locking lever. Under these conditions the shaft cannot be moved lin the oppositedirection to release the lever 15, and hence the latch except by the main cam 8 so that the cab returns to the oor level to reengage the cam with roller 5 it is impossible for the door to be opened.

Under certain abnormal conditions the elevator may sometimes be moved from the iioor level while the door is opened, as by slipping of the cables and/or brakes or for some other reason, with resultant movement of the shaft 3 and lock parts to locking position but with the door latch not entered in the housing 2. If the door is thereafter closed, the latch is projected into the housing as usual and the trigger 17 on the locking arm, being now depressed is engaged by the latch during movement of the latter into the housing and is swung on its pivot as the latch moves under it to the position shown in Fig. 8. Under these conditions, however, the trigger 17 might not seat in the notch 20 because of the retarding effect of its engagement with the latch during movement of the latter although the safety switchrmight be just closed by the latch, thereby permitting operation of the elevator in a normal way. The auxiliary notch 21 is therefore provided to prevent subsequent opening of the door during the absence of the cab from the floor, since due to the presence of the trigger in the vicinity of the notch 21, an effort to retract the latch through manipulation of the door knob will result in the trigger being seated in that notch while movement of the latch in the opposite direction, i. e., from the position shown in Fig. 8 to that shown in liig.y l will seat the trigger in the notch 20 to firmly lock the latch in the housing in the normal way.

Reference has heretofore been made to the vspecific construction of the safety switch shown cuit is not immediately broken upon initial movement ofthe arms to open the switch, nor are the g contacts subjected to possible damage through being forced too severely against the stationary contacts. The specific construction of these switches forms no part of thepresent invention,

however, and if desired, switches of diiferent character may be employed so long as they are capable of performing their intended functions.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that our improved lock is designed for installation in an elevator assemblyv comprising, among other A things, the usual electric circuits by means of which the operation of the cab is effected and controlled, which circuits normally include a safety switch and a :door limit switch respectively generally corresponding in function to'our safety lswitch S and floor limit switch Las well asa pushbutton or like device corresponding to our. push button 60 for summoning the cab to -any given floor, said switches and button being duplicated at each floor. Since the arrangement of these circuits is well understood, we have therefore herein omitted reference thereto either by way of description or illustration as it is not essential for a proper comprehension of our'invention.

It `will be further understood that the arrangement of cams for controlling the movement of shaft 3 which we'have herein disclosed is particularly suited for installation in an elevator assembly designed to serve but two floors and thus embodying but two of our improved lock mechanisms. When the cab is arranged to serve more than two floors, however, the body 55 of cam 8 will preferably be made of the retiring type instead of fixed so that as the cab passes floors intermediate that from which it started and that at which it is designed to stop, the cam body will not contact the rollers 15 Yat such intermediate floors, but operate only upon the roller at the iioor at which it is desired to stop the car.

In the particular embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, theparts are so arranged that the arm 4 extends angularly upward from the axis of the shaft 3 and is thus turned clockwise to release the locking lever l5 and counterclockwise to lock it, the `cam 8 being so constructed that it will effect this clockwise movement of the arm whether the cab is approaching the :door from above or from below, and the auxiliary Cams 56, 57 being likewise adapted to positively move the arm in the counterclockwise direction when the cab leaves the oor. However, under some conditions of installation, it may be preferred to so position arm 4 that it will extend angularly downward from the shaft and therefore necessitate its being turned in a counterclockwise direction to release the locking lever l5 and in a clockwise direction to lock it. When such arrangement is desired, it can be readily effected-with a locking mechanism of the character illustrated by merely taking out the shaft 3 and reversing the position of the collar 10 thereon and similarly reversing the stop screws 35, 36 yso they will contact the cover plate 2 instead of the cover plate 2 vwhen the parts are reassembied.. It wil-i be noted that the sides of locking lever 15 are oppositely inwardly inclined and that the sides of lug 35 of the limit switch finger are also similarly oppositely inwardly inclined so that when the collar 10 is reversed as aforesaid, its arms 12, 13 will coact with these parts in the same way as in the assembly shown in the drawings but, of course, in the opposite direction. It will readily be appreciated that this ability to arrange the parts so that arm 4 can be directed either upwardly or downwardly facilitates installation ofthe lock under various conditions encountered in practice.

While we have herein described a preferred embodiment of our invention with cons'.derable particularity and with specific reference to its use in automatic elevators, it will be understood that wel do not intend to limit or confine ourselves in any way thereto as it may be used with corresponding advantage in elevators of other types, while changes and modications in the form and arrangement of the various parts of the mechanism will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be made if desired without Adeparting from the spirit and scope of the inventionas defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates. v 1. In elevator door locking mechanism,A a housing` adapted for disposition in the frame of the hatchway door, a retractable latch carried by the door adapted to enter the housing, and means for locking the latch against retraction therefrom comprising a latch locking lever pivotally mounted in the housing, a shaft journaled in and extending outwardly from the housing, lever locking means rotatable with the shaft, an `arm xed to the shaft at a point without the housing and vextending into the elevator hatchway,`and

means carried by the'cab cooperative with the* arm for positively rotating the shaft in opposite directions in correspondence 'with movements of the cab to thereby move the lever locking means `to and from lever locking position.

'i 2. Inelevator door locking mechanism, ithe combination of a housing adapted for disposition in the frame of the hatchway door, a latch carried by the door and' movable into the housing, said latch having a notch on the portion which extends into the housing, a latch locking lever pivoted in the housing operable to engage the latch in said notch when in one position and means for moving said lever to said position comprising a shaft journaled in the housing and extending outwardly therefrom, an arm carried by the shaft operative to lock the lever when the shaft is moved to a predetermined position of rotative adjustment and to release itwhen the shaft is moved to another position of such adjustment, an arm fixed to the shaft without the housing extending into the elevator hatchway cooperablewith means carried by the cab to rotate the shaft from one of said positions to the other in correspondence with movements of the cab whereby when the cab is in predetermined relation withr the housing, the locking lever is Afreed from the influence of the locking arm to'thereby release the latch, and when the cab is in other positions the locking lever is held in latch locking position.

`3. In elevator door locking mechanism, the combination of a housing adapted for disposition in the frame of the hatchway door, a notched latch carried bythe door movable into and out of the housing, and means for preventing withdrawal of the latch from the housing save when the elevator cab is in apredetermined position with relation to the housing comprising a locking lever pivoted in the housing engageable in said notch, yielding means tending to move the lever out of such engagement against the influence thereof and means for releasably maintaining said engagement comprising a shaft journaled in the housing and extending outwardly therefrom into the elevator hatchway, a lever locking arm carried by the shaft contacting the lever when in one position and clearing the lever when in another position, an arm fixed to the shaft outside the housing, means carried by the arm providing a bearing surface and means carried by the elevator cab adapted to engage said surface to positively move the shaft to different positions of rotational adjustment so as to move the lever locking arm into and out of contact with the lever in accordance with movements of the cab.

4. In elevator door locking mechanism, the combination of a housing adapted for disposition in the frame of the hatchway door, a notched latch carried by the door movable into and out of the housing, means for preventing withdrawal of the latch from the housing save when the elevator cab is in a predetermined position with relation to the housing comprising a locking lever pivoted in the housing engageable in said notch,

`yielding means tending to move the lever out of such engagement against the influence thereof and means for releasably maintaining said engagement comprising a shaft journaled in the housing and extending outwardly therefrom into the elevator hatchway, a lever locking arm carried by the shaft contacting the lever when in one position and clearing the lever when in another position, an arm xed to the shaft outside the housing, means carried by the arm providing a bearing surface and means carried by the elevator cab adapted to engage said surface to positively move the shaft to different positions of rotational adjustment so as to move the lever locking arm i into and out of contact with the lever in accordance with movements of the cab, a switch disposed within the housing having a movable contact finger extending into the path of the latch whereby when the latch is in latching position said switch is closed, and yielding means for moving the nger to open the switch when said latch is retracted from latching position.

5. In elevator door locking mechanism, the combination of a housing adapted for disposition in the frame of the hatchway door, a notched latch carried by the door movable into and out of the housing, means for preventing withdrawal of the latch from the housing save when the elevator cab is in a predetermined position with relation to the housing comprising a locking lever pivoted in the housing engageable in said notch, yielding means tending to move the lever out of such engagement against the influence thereof and means for releasably maintaining said engagement comprising a shaft journaled in the housing and extending outwardly therefrom into the elevator hatchway, a lever locking arm carried by the shaft contacting the lever when in one position and clearing the lever when in another position, an arm fixed to the shaft outside the housing, means carried by the arm providing a bearing surface and means carried by the elevator cab adapted to engage said surface to positively move the shaft to different positions of rotational adjustment so as to move the lever lockingarm into-and out of contact with the lever in accordance with movements of the cab, and a pair of switches disposed in the housing, one havingV a movable contact -nger extending into thev path ofthe latch when it is projected into latching position whereby said switch is closed as said latch is so projected and kept closed while the latch is thereafter locked through the medium of said locking lever and yielding means for opening said switch when the latch is retracted` after release ofv said locking means through actuation of said shaft, said other switch having a movable-` Contact finger and yielding means tending to urge c it to a closed position, and means carried by the ,extends into the housing, and means for releasably locking the latch against retraction from the housing comprising a locking lever pivoted therein v having a movable trigger at its extremity adapted `for reception in either of said notches, yielding means tending to move the trigger toward 30"' tthe latch, a shaft journaled'in the housingl extending into the elevator hatchway, a locking arm carried by said shaft operative to hold the lever stationary'after the trigger is disposed in y either notch when the shaft is in one position of rotative adjustment, and to release said lever when the shaft is in another position of such. adjustment, an arm carried by the shaft outside the housing, means carried by this arm providing a bearing surface and means carried'by the elevator cab cooperative with said surface to move the shaft from one of said positions to the other in correspondence with movements of the ycabwhereby when the shaft is in one of said positions, the trigger is held inlatch locking rela- 5 Vtion withone or the other of the notches and when in the other of said positions the trigger is released from such relation to allow the latch to be retracted from the housing.

7 In an elevator door locking assembly, a movvabledoor latch carried by the hatchway door,

a-housing carried bythe door frame adapted to receive the latch to latch the door, the latch having a pair of notches in thatA portion thereof which extends into the housing, and means for viv-releasablyA locking the latch against retraction from the housing comprising a locking lever pivoted'therein having a movable trigger at its extremity adapted for reception in either of said notches, yielding means tending to move the trigger toward the latch, a shaft journaled in the housing extending into the elevator hatchway, a locking arm carried by said shaft operative to hold the lever stationary after the trigger is disposed in either notch when the shaft is in one I position of rotative adjustment, and to release said lever when the shaft is in another position of such adjustment, an arm carried by the shaft outside the housing, means carried by this arm providingk a bearing surface, means carried by the elevator cab cooperative with said surface to move the shaft from one of said positions to the other in correspondence with movements of the cab whereby whentheV shaft is inlone of saidpositions-the trigger is held in latch locking relation withone 'or the'other of the notches and when in the other of the-said positions thetrigger is'- released from suchl relation tofallow the latch to be retracted from the housing, a switch disposed within the housing below the locking lever having a movable contact finger extending into the path of the latch and yielding means tend-V ing to urge the switch to open position, said nger being forced to closed position by the latchv receive the latch to latch the door, the latch4 having a pair ofA notches in that portion thereof which extends into the housing, and means for releasably locking the latch against retraction from the housing comprising a locking lever pivoted therein having a movable trigger at its extremity adapted for reception in eitherof said notches, yielding means tending to move the trigger toward the latch, a shaft journaled in the housing extending into the elevator hatchway, a locking arm carried by said shaft operative to hold the lever stationary after the trigger is disposed in either notch when the shaft isin one position of rotative adjustment, and to release said lever when the shaft is in another position of such adjustment, an arm carried by the shaft outside the housing, means carried by this arm providing a bearing surface, means carried by the elevator cab cooperative with said surface to move the shaft from one of said positions to the other in correspondence with movements of. the cab whereby when the shaft is in one of said positions the trigger is held in latch locking relation with one or the otherof the notches and when in the otherof saidpositions the trigger is released from such relation to allow the latch to-be retracted from the housing, a switch disposed withinthe housing below-the locking lever having a movablecontact nger extending into the path of the latch', yielding meanstending tourge the switch to open position, said finger being forced to closed position by the latch when the-trigger is disposed in either of the notches and'moved' to open position by the yieldingvmeans when the trigger is released and the latch is retracted from the housing, a second switch disposed inthe housing above the. lever having a movable contact finger, yielding means tending to urge said finger to closed position, andan arm carried by ther said shaft adapted to move said switch finger to switch opening vposition. when the shaft is turned so asto release thetrigger;

9.. In an elevator assembly comprising a hatchway having a door, a cab movable in the hatchway, alatch carried by the door, a housing carried by the door frame, the latch being movable into and out of the housing to latch and unlatch the door, means forpositively. locking the latch when fully entered in the housingcomprising a latch. locking lever pivotedwithin the housing, a shaft journaled in the housing and extendingfinto the hatchway, an arm carried by the shaft operative to move the lever into locking relation withY the latch when theshaft is moved to one position of rotative adjustment and to release the lever therefromk when the. shaft is moved to another such position, an actuating arm.

a cam carried bythe cab 'adapted to contact the roller to move the shaft from locking to releasing position as the cab approaches the hoor, and another camcarried by they cab adapted to contact the roller to positivelymove the shaft to locking position when the cab departs from the floor.

10. In an elevator assembly comprising a hatchway having a door, a cab movable in the hatchway, locking means for the door comprising a movable latch carried by the door, a housing carried by the door frame having an opening adapted to receive the latch, and means for releasably holding the latch in saidopening comprising a locking lever pivoted in the housing adapted to engage the latch, a shaft journaled in the housingextending outwardly therefrom, an arm carried b y the shaft cooperative with said lever to hold it in latch locking position when the shaft is in one position of rotative adjustment and release vit therefrom when the shaft is in another such position, anactuating arm extending into the hatchway from the shaft, a roller on the actuating arm, a pair of opposed cams carried by the velevator cab, one of said cams being adapted to contact the roller and move the shaft to release the first mentioned arm from the locking lever as' the cab approaches the floor and the other cam being adapted to contact the roller and positively move the shaft and said rst mentioned arm to lever locking position when the cab leaves the floor and yielding means for moving the lever out of locking position when it is relieved from i the inuence of said first mentioned arm.

hatchway having a door, a cab movable in the` hatchway, `locking Ameans for the door comprising a movable latch carried by the door, a housing carried by the door frame having an opening adapted to receive the latch, and means for releasably holding the latch in said opening cornprising a locking lever pivoted in the housing adapted to engage the latch, a shaft journaled in the housing extending outwardly therefrom, an arm carried by the shaft cooperative with said lever to hold it in latch locking position when the shaft is inone position of rotative adjustment and release it therefrom when the shaft is in another such position, an actuating arm extend- ,ing into the hatchway from the shaft, a roller on the actuating arm, a pair of opposed cams carried by the elevator cab, one of said cams being adapted to contact thefroller and move the shaft to release the first mentioned arm from the locking lever as the cab approaches the floor and the other cam being adapted to contact the roller and positively move the shaft and said first mentioned arm to lever locking position when the cab leaves the floor and yielding means for moving the lever out of locking position when it is relieved from the influence of said first mentioned arm, said lever comprising a movable trigger and said latch having a pair of notches adapted for its reception.

12. In an elevator assembly comprising a hatchway having a door, a cab movable in the hatchway, a housing carried by the door frame, a latch carried by the door and partially movable into and out of the housing, the part of the latch which enters the housing having a pair of notches, locking means for releasably holding the latch in the housing comprising a locking lever pivoted therein, a trigger on the free end of the lever adapted to selectively enter either of the notches, a shaft journaled in and extending outwardly from the housing, an arm carried by the shaft operative when in one position to hold the lever against upward movement, yielding means tending to continually urge the lever upwardly to thereby retract the trigger from the particular notch in which it is entered, an actuating arm extending from the shaft into the hatchway, a roller on the actuating arm, and a pair of cams carried by the cab, one of said cams being adapted through coaction with the roller to rotate the shaft in one direction as the cab approaches the floor to release the locking arm from the locking lever, and the other of said cams being adapted through coaction with the roller to positively rotate the shaft in the other direction as the cab leaves the oor and thereby engage the locking arm with the locking lever and positively hold said trigger in one of the notches to prevent retraction of the latch from the housing.

13. In an elevator assembly comprising a hatchway having a door, alcab movable in the hatchway, a housing carried by the door frame, a latch carried by the door and partially movable into and out of the housing, the part of the latch which enters the housing having a pair of notches, locking means for releasably holding the latch in the housing comprising a locking lever pivoted therein, a trigger on the free end of the lever adapted to selectively enter either of the notches, a shaft journaled in and extending outwardly from the housing, an arm carried by the shaft operative when in one position to hold the lever against upward movement, yielding means tending to continually urge the lever upwardly to thereby retract the trigger from the particular notch in which it is entered, an actuating arm extending from the shaft into the hatchway, a roller on the actuating arm, and a pair of cams carried by the cab, one of said cams being adapted through coactionwith the roller to rotate the shaft in one direction as the cab approaches the floor to release the locking arm from the locking lever, and the other of said cams being adapted through coaction with the roller to positively rotate the shaft in the other direction as the cab leaves the floor and thereby engage the locking arm with the locking lever and positively hold said trigger in one of the notches to prevent retraction of the latch from the housing, a switch disposed within the housing beneath the locking lever having a movable contact making finger extending into the path of the latch whereby said finger is moved to closing position as the latch is moved to latching position, and yielding means tending to move the finger from closing position when the latch is retracted.

14. In an elevator assembly comprising a hatchway having a door, a cab movable inthe hatchway, a housing carried by the door frame, a latch carried by the door and partially movable into and out of the housing, the part of the latch which enters the housing having a pair of notches, locking means for releasably holding the latch in the housing comprising a locking lever pivoted therein, a trigger on the free end of the lever adapted to selectively enter either of the notches, a shaft journaled in and extending outwardly from the housing, an arm carried by the shaft operative when in one position to hold the lever against upward movement, yielding means tending to continually urge the lever upwardly to thereby retract the trigger from the particular notch in which it is entered, an actuating arm extending from the shaft into the hatchway, a roller on the actuating arm, and a pair of cams carried by the cab, one of said cams being adapted through comlA action'withithe rollerl to. rotate therv shaft in one direction as the cab approaches vthe iioor to release the locking arm from the locking lever,.and:the

other of said cams being adaptedl through coaction with the roller to 4positively rotate the shaft in the other direction as the cab leaves the floor and thereby engage the locking arm with the locking lever and positively hold said trigger in one'of the notches to prevent retraction of the latch from the housing, a switch disposed within the housing beneath the lockingl lever having a movable contact making nger extending into the path-ofthe latch whereby said nger is moved to closing position as the latch is moved to latching position, yielding means tending to move the iinger from closing position when the latch is retracted, a second switch disposed in the housing above the locking lever. comprising amovable finger and yielding means operative to urge it to switch closing position, and means carried by the shaft cooperatvie with said iinger to positively,v

move it to switch opening position as the lever locking arm is moved into engagement with the locking lever.

15. In combination with an elevator assembly comprising a hatch having a doorway, a cab movable in the hatch and a door in the doorway, a housing disposed inthe frame of the doorway, a, latch carried by the door adapted to enterthe housing when the door isfclosed, spring pressed pivoted latch locking means ink the housing adapted to engage the latch, a shaft rotatable in the housing, means carried by the shaft adapted to move said locking means to latch engaging 'iposition when the shaft is moved to -one position,

interengageable vmeans respectively carried by the cab and shaft operative to. effect rotative movement of the shaft to and from said positiony when the cab is moved in the hatch and a switch ogjactuated by the latch to complete a circuit when the latch isv moved to a position for engagement by the locking means.

16. In elevator door locking mechanism, a notched latch, a housing adaptedto receive the latch, a switch disposed in the housing for actuation by the latch, spring pressed means operable to enter a ynotch in the latch when entered in the housing, locking means operable to rrnove said last mentioned means intonotch entering position against the spring pressure, cams providing a plurality of angularly disposed cam faces carried/by the elevator cab, and meansinter-v engaged with'the locking means engageable by*V the cams to effect movementof the locking means in opposite directions.

17. Elevator safety switch and door locking mechanism comprising a housing having. an opening, asafety switch disposed therein adjacent the opening, a, latch adapted to enter the opening and actuate the switch, latch locking means disposed inthe housing adapted to engage the latchand means for positively actuating said locking means in one direction and for yieldingly actuating said meansin the opposite direction in correspondence. with movements of' the elevator cab.

18. Elevator safety switch and door locking mechanism comprising a housing having an opening, a safety switch disposed therein adjacent the opening, a latch adapted to enter the opening andactuate the switch, latch locking means disposed in the housing movable into engagement with the latch, yielding means for moving said'locking means in one direction and means for positively moving said. locking means in the opposite direction in correspondence with movements of the'. elevator cab, said means compris-` ing a rotatable shaft, means carried thereby providing bearing surfaces one of which is adapted to engage and move the locking means, and meanscarried by the cab adapted to engage the other bearingl surface'y to positively rotate the shaft in oppositedirections.

19.1'nV elevator door locking mechanism, a

shaft and ythereby actuate the locking armtov` move thelocking lever'into engagement with the latch.

JOSEPH H. BORDEN; CHARLES J. KETT. 

